Second Written Statement - Skin Piercing Byelaws

Second Written Statement Regarding the Intention to Adopt Byelaws for Acupuncture, Tattooing, Semi Permanent Skin Colouring, Cosmetic Piercing and Electrolysis.

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (the Council) in pursuance of sections 14(7) and 15(7) of the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 (the Act) and section 120 of the Local Government Act 2003 intends to adopt the Model Byelaws for Acupuncture, Tattooing, Semi-Permanent Skin Colouring, Cosmetic Piercing and Electrolysis (the Byelaws).

The Byelaws are based on model byelaws produced by Welsh Government and will regulate acupuncture, tattooing, semi-permanent skin-colouring, cosmetic piercing and electrolysis.

A written statement regarding the proposal to adopt the new Model Byelaws was published on the council’s website on the 1st of February 2016 for a period of 28 days. View the Skin Piercing Byelaws Statement.

A written consultation on the proposal was also provided to interested and affected parties:

As a result of the consultation 3 responses were received:

A letter from a trade body thanking the authority for the information

A letter from a premises advising that they no longer operate skin piercing activities

A telephone call from a premises operating skin piercing within Rhondda Cynon Taf asking how the byelaws would affect their ear piercing activity.

No adverse responses have been received regarding the proposal.

On the 23rd March 2016 the Council resolved to proceed with the adoption of a new single consolidated set of byelaws. During skin piercing procedures blood and body fluids are released posing a risk of blood borne virus transmission, including hepatitis A, B, and C and HIV. Some blood borne viruses, for example hepatitis B, can be transmitted by very small volumes of blood; too small to be visible to the naked eye. Such diseases can be debilitating, have a major impact on the quality of life and, if not medically treated, can lead to death. Effective regulation of this trade is therefore necessary to protect individuals from infection but also to safeguard the wider public health. The new byelaws will update the existing byelaws by requiring higher standards and significantly they will apply to premises that carry out cosmetic piercing and semi permanent skin colouring which are not covered by the existing bye laws that are currently being applied.

Information relating to the byelaws is available on the Council’s website www.rctcbc.gov.uk or by contacting The Food and Health and Safety Team, Public Health and Protection, Tyˆ Elai, Williamstown, CF40 1NY on telephone (01443) 425001 or e-mail: foodhealthandsafety@rctcbc.gov.uk

A copy of these new Byelaws will be made available for inspection at the above address.